JACKSON — Incumbents Scott Martin and Ann Updegrave will remain on the Jackson Township Council for another four years after fending off two challengers in the Nov. 4 election.
According to results provided by Ocean County election officials, Martin received 6,621 votes and Updegrave received 6,356 votes in their successful bids for seats on the governing body.
Nathan Grosshandler and Denise Garner received 5,274 votes and 5,231 votes, respectively, in their bids for public office.
The results of the election are unofficial until they are certified by the county.
The two returning council members will begin their new terms on Jan. 1.
Jackson has a nonpartisan form of government, and candidates do not run under the banner of a political party.
Commenting on the outcome of the election, Martin said, “We are very proud of the campaign we ran. We stood by the issues, told everybody what we had done for the last four years and what our plans were for the next four.”
Updegrave said she believed she and Martin were able to win at the polls because of their “team effort staying positive and giving factual information throughout the campaign.”
For Martin and Updegrave, who have served on the council since 2006, their victory was a result of what they said were years of positive growth for Jackson.
“[We ran] on our record of cutting spending, of slashing debt, of increasing commercial ratables,” Martin said. “When Ann and I took office eight years ago, we inherited a mess. We have been able to dig out from that mess, and I think people have been able to see what we have done.”
Grosshandler and Garner thanked the people who supported their bid to win seats on the council.
“We are disappointed with the results, but we were happy to have the opportunity to ask residents for their vote during this election,” Grosshandler said. “I look forward to continuing to represent people and their concerns and work with the mayor and council moving forward.”
Garner said she was proud of the number of voters who supported her.
“This was my first election running for a council seat, and I am tremendously grateful to the residents who came out to vote for Nate, (mayoral candidate) Bill Spedding and myself. I am happy they believe in us,” Garner said. “I will continue to follow though with the platform we proposed to them.”
Looking ahead, Martin said he wants to move Jackson toward a more fiscally conservative future while also bolstering the police force.
“We are going to continue to slash our debt and keep a conservative approach to our spending,” he said. “We [also] need to stop the proliferation of drugs in our town and protect our children. In order to do that, you need a fully functioning police department, and we are going to continue to rebuild the department and increase manpower.”
Updegrave said she plans to advance Jackson’s social services by letting residents know what types of services are available.
“I plan to concentrate on enlightening the public about the many social services that are available to those in need,” she said. “I have already spoken to our district Assembly office about this and hope to get a presentation together for an agenda in the near future.”
Contact Andrew Martins at [email protected].